


I AM NOT: the rebellion

by wolfsbanex



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Dystopia, Angst, Comfort, Death, Drama, Fighting, Fluff, Forbidden Relationships, Friendship, Hurt, I AM NOT inspired, Love, M/M, Violence, alternative universe - future, futuristic setting, they have different ages don't be confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-03-30 11:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13950504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfsbanex/pseuds/wolfsbanex
Summary: Nine friends, one system.Will you fit in, or will you fight for freedom?Imagine your whole life has been planned for you.What your name is, what profession you will perform, who you will marry, even how you will die.Nine boys, trapped in the same system, dare to do something that no one has ever dared to do.They break out of the system.





	1. Phase 1

**Author's Note:**

> ENGLISH ISN'T MY FIRST LANGUAGE!  
> \- this is inspired by their i am not trailer  
> \- enjoy!<3

The sky is white with gray hues. Of course, that’s what he always looks like. Felix sighs and shuffles to the stop of the airtrain. His hands buried in the pockets of his white civilian uniform, he leans his body against the sturdy glass behind him. Everyone is wearing white clothes. Felix's eyes hurt so he closes them and takes a deep breath as he tries to imagine what it would look like if people in colorful clothes walked the streets. It does not work, the colorless clothes of exhausted people is the only thing he has ever seen since his birth.

The airtrain stops with a hissing sound in front of the stop and Felix joins the line of people who want to enter the train. Turn right, get off the left. People leave the airtrain like an assembly line and enter. Felix sees his friend Chan and drops down beside him on the seat. „Civilian 001, I wish you a good morning.“ Felix rattles off the standard sentence which they were already taught in elementary school.

Chan grins joyfully at him and makes his headphones disappear in his backpack. „Where did you get these from?“ Felix raises his eyebrow in question. „Let's say a shopkeeper was careless where he drops his goods.“

„You are abusing the trust of the society Chan.“ Chans expression becomes hard. „Society has taken my parents, so I'll take what I want.“

„It was an accident at work, Chan. You know that.“ Felix says and leans back in his seat. „You trust the society too much.“ Chan presses his lips together so that they form two straight lines. „Society protects us, do you think an unregulated life is easier?“ asks Felix. „They do not protect us, they manipulate us“, whispered Chan quietly, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window. „You are too suspicious.“ Chan closes his eyes.

At the same time, at the other end of the city is the villa of President Han. Jisung, his son, runs through the house, desperately trying not to wake his father. Should he notice that Jisung has woken up too late again it would certainly not end well. „Yoojung!“ Jisungs bodyguard has grabbed the collar of his uniform and is holding on to the wriggling boy. „I would come with me now, your dad just woke up and is on his way to breakfast.“

Jisung curses and sneaks out of the building with Yoojung. The young man has been by his side for 3 years and Jisung could not thank him enough. „Shall I drive you to school?“Jisung nods and opens the door of the red sports car.

Cars have been banned from society after air pollution has risen dramatically, but of course that did not apply to the president, nor to his son. „How is it going in school?“ asks Yoojung and smiles at the boy. Jisung doesn’t want to answer. The other kids didn’t like it at all. „It’s fine, i’m getting my work done.“ is what he tells Yoojung.

Hyunjins life was dedicated to his inventions. And Seungmin. The boy belonged to his workshop just like a screwdriver. Seungmin was his right hand, his helper. But Seungmin was so much more than that, he was candle flickering in the night, forbidden kisses in the dark, and warm hands on cold skin whenever time allowed.

Since soldiers of the president brought the boy down to his workshop and told him that in his documents he is a scientist, he is going to stay with him. Hyunjin was not at all excited about this idea, but that changed after a while. It was not so bad to wake up next to someone with whom you could share his worries and happiness. Seungmins smile made his heart melt.

Hyunjin knows that this relationship can’t last forever. The second he turns 20 he will be given the number of his match, selected by the government. That would be in exactly 2 months. They have been prepared for this since school, where teachers explained the relationship part of the system. The rules of living in the perfect society contain not being able to fall in love freely. You don’t date and if you do and get caught, you’re charged with up to 10 years of jail.

But Seungmin and Hyunjin fell in love and they couldn’t deny it. There’s this invisible force pulling them to each other. They know it’s a bad idea, but they’re ready to risk everything. This morning starts with Hyunjin waking up before Seungmin does. The younger boy is sleeping soundly and he looks so calm that Hyunjin softly strokes the side of his face before pressing a quick peck onto Seungmins lips.

When Felix and Chan arrive in school, the first person they see is Lee Minho. He is silent, but smart. Felix liked the older boy's company. „Civilian 142, I wish you a good morning.“ Minho is startled as if Felix voice had roused him from sleep. „Oh, Felix, good morning“, Minho mumbles and turns back to the notebook on his lap. „What are you doing?“ Chan stands behind Felix, plucking at his white uniform, disgusted. „Homework, maybe you should try it too.“ Minho answers, swatting Chans hands away.

„No thanks, I have no interest in following the governments plans.“ Felix rolls his eyes and settles down next to Minho. „Don’t listen to him, he’s been talking about this the entire morning.“ Minho grins and easily solves the last task on his paper. „You are too smart, you know that?“ whines Felix.

The conversations of the students fall silent. Minho and Felix look up, interested. The door is held open by a burly man and a boy, in the same white civilian uniform as any, enters the school corridor. Han Jisung in all his glory. „Close your mouth, you're drooling.“ Chan jokes and tweaks Minhos shoulder. „Don’t be silly, we’re not allowed to fall in love!“ he hisses back. Chan raises his eyebrow, visibly surprised by Minhos aggressiveness. „Did I hit a sore spot?“ Felix takes Minhos hand and gives Chan a warning look. „Come on, we're going to class.“ Chan stares after the two and sighs quietly when a well-known boy appears next to him.

„Civilian 001, I wish you a good morning. Did your friends leave you?“ Chan turns to the voice, an arrogant smile on his face. „At least I have friends.“ Woojin laughs briefly. „Arrogant as always.“ Chan shrugs. „Am I not best known for this?“ Woojin wrinkles his nose and Chan almost admits that he looks very sweet doing that. „Didn’t know such a reputation makes you proud.“ „I am full of surprises.“ Chan winks at Woojin as he allows his hand to pass unnoticed into the others pocket.

„Now to class, after all, you work as a politician, right? Little Woojin, I'm sure you fit perfectly in a room with tie bearers and self-loathing idiots.“ Woojins face turns bright red. „Fuck you!“ he snarls and pushes Chan away from him.

Chan laughs and waves after Woojin as he runs down the hallway. Woojins keyring is tightly clasped in Chans hand.

_It's cold around him. He tries to open his eyes, but all he sees is darkness. I'm afraid, this thought is buzzing in his head. He feels the silky strands of hair on his soaked skin. Let me out, he's screaming, he's been screaming for days. They put tubes in his skin. He is sick with fear. A warm liquid flows through his veins. Who am I? Who am I? he kicks, but his feet kick against sturdy material. The air is running out. „Shut up, you're safe.“ Safety? What is that? a thin needle pierces his skin. He yells._

 

 

 

 


	2. Phase 2

  
Changbin loves his skateboard. Civilians are not allowed to move faster than walking or the airtrain, but Changbin has never been particularly interested in the rules of the system. Changbin has put earphones in his ears, but the fifteen songs that society has not banished bore him. He pulls the pegs out of his ears and concentrates on the street in front of him. And of course the surveillance cameras on the lamp posts.

Changbin was not a great philanthropist, he enjoyed spending most of his time alone. But sometimes he also enjoys to be with other people. He thought of blonde hair, cute freckles and full, pink lips. Lee Felix, best friend of Chan. Changbin still didn’t get how the well-behaved Felix copes with the unruly Chan.

The two of them were like day and night, but it was the same with him and Felix. Changbin was a silent boy with a cold glare at everyone who tried to start a conversation with him. Most students were afraid of him, but not Felix. The second Chan introduced the sunshine to Changbin he was all over him. Felix was something special, Changbin knows that. He was interesting to him.

„Hey Binnie!“ a loud voice rips him out of his thoughts. Chan, standing in a dark alley. Changbin smiles and joins his friend. „What’s up?“ Chan gives him a teasing grin. „Are you asking what’s up with me or with Felix?“ Changbin feels himself blush. „Shut up“, grumbles the younger boy and kicks the gravel under his white sneakers. „You like him, Changbin. I’m sure Felix would find a liking in you too if you’d spend more time with him.“

„Yeah sure watch me seduce that ray of sun just to have us both thrown in jail when some dickhead decides to betray us and tell everyone.“ Chan pulls a cigarette out off his shirt and holds them open for Changbin who declines. „Smoking is illegal.“ Chan sighs, visibly desperate.

„Changbin, listen. People have natural urges, love for example. We can not choose when we fall in love or with whom we fall in love. We can’t force ourselves to feel affection for our ‚perfect‘ partner. Do you think people in our system are really happy? I doubt that. Maybe they have come to terms with the fact that this is the life they have to live. They think they have no choice but to do exactly what society wants them to do. Do you really not notice how fucked up this system is? We can not think independently, dream for ourselves. Fuck man, we aren’t even allowed to feel any kind of human emotion because it will throw us into chaos, supposedly.“

  
Changbin lets his head rest on Chans shoulder and soaks in the warmth of the older boy.

„It makes me sad to wake up every day in the same environment, every day the same clothes, the same sky, even the same conversation. We are no longer a society of people, but machines. We work exactly like everyone wants us to, but nobody enjoys being alive anymore. Why did the government think this system would be a good idea?“

Chan lets his cold fingers wander through Changbins soft hair, lost in thought. „I went to the library a few days ago and stole some history books. The oldest i got is from the year 2017.“ Changbin looks up, his eyes shining with interest.

„The people were free to choose their government, but that was fatal for them. Idealistic ideas overshadowed their morality and their society broke down. There was a big war between different religions and races. Korea was the first country to take drastic measures. They dropped bombs, everywhere. Killed a good 98% of their population just to stuff the rest of them into this little glass dome. And now we’re here. And we’re not humans anymore. I think the last bit of humanity in our ancestors died the second they decided to murder their people.“

Changbin swallows and fiddles with his fingers. „So maybe this system isn’t that bad.“ Chan rolls his eyes and snips the cigarette onto the concrete. „Don’t you want to know what it’s like to wake up to sun shining into your eyes? don’t you want to breathe actual fresh air and feel warm grass under your feet? don’t you wonder what it’s like to run over miles and miles without every coming to an end because the world is big and wide and you’re free?“

„You dream too much.“ answers Changbin and picks up his skateboard. „You’re already rebelling you know? why are you afraid of taking it a step further?“ the younger boy huffs angrily at his friend. „I’m not afraid!“ a mischievous glint sparks in Chans brown eyes. „Then join me tonight for my daily tour.“ and Changbin accepts.

Woojins legs are shaking the second he steps into the big conference room. „Civilian 020! I wish you a good afternoon.“ a muscular man offers him his hand. Woojin shakes it quickly before pulling his hand away. „My name is Han.“ the president smiles down at the boy. „President Han! i am honored to meet you at the first day of my internship.“ Woojin bows. The man lays a hand on his shoulder and smiles coldly. „I’ll make sure you will fit in here.“ Woojin can’t decide if that’s a threat or a promise.

Minho and Felix were outside in the only park they had. The grass was made out of plastic and special perfumes make it smell like a freshly cut lawn. „I’m so hungry.“ whines Felix and rubs his stomach. „What time is it?“ Felix points to the projected clock in the sky. „Uh i forgot. 7 pm? i should head home, curfew is in an hour.“ says Minho and grabs his backpack from beside him. „Yeah you’re right, come on!“ Felix links their arms and pulls his friend over to the stop of the airtrain.

When the two of them sit down inside the train, between all of the white clothes, Felix spots green. „Hey, look!“ he nudges Minhos side and points to the unusual color. A girl with a smug grin and red painted lips is sitting there with a green blouse over her white civilian uniform. „She’s brave“, mumbles Felix. „She’s stupid.“ says Minho and gives her a hard glare. But Felix can relate to the girl, she has red lips, he has blonde hair and freckles. And he’s the only person here who does. Everyone else has spotless skin and dark brown or black hair. „You were born with blonde hair Felix, she painted her lips willingly and disregards the clothing rules. There’s a difference, so stop with your ‚Omg another person who doesn’t fit in just like me‘ - look. Please.“ Felix closes his eyes and leans his head against Minhos shoulder.

„Seungmin!“ Hyunjins voice alarms the younger boy and he runs downstairs, careful not to slip on the small woddenstairs. „What happened, are you okay?“ Seungmin is frantically seeking Hyunjins body for injuries or burns from his inventions, but the older boy is completely untouched.

„Hey, everything’s okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.“ Hyunjin pulls the trembling boy into his arms. He gently rocks him back and forth before giving him the letter in his hand. Seungmin looks at him questioningly. "Open it up." a big grin on Hyunjins lips. So Seungmin tugs open the envelope impatiently.

**Dear civilian 953 and 473,**   
**Due to an urgent project, we would like to invite you to the government building.**   
**The date for this conference is Wednesday in a week.**   
**The meeting demands absolute secrecy.**   
**A worker from our ranks will assist you in the project.**   
**Best regards,**   
**President Han, civilian 000**

„Do you know what this means?“ Hyunjin asks excitedly and grabs Seungmins cold hand to press it against his wildly pounding heart.

Seungmin stares at him, speechless. „Should this project be a success, the responsible inventor will move up a rank further. If the president is so impressed with me that he hires me, I will not have a rank anymore, but I’ll be a statesman. You know what that means, right?“

Tears shoot in Seungmins eyes as he recognizes the severity in Hyunjins words. „As a statesman, the system rules do not apply to you. You can choose which civilian you want to marry.“

Hyunjin, now with tears in his eyes, nods. „This is our chance.“


	3. Phase 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and the action starts

The night has settled over the city like a jet-black cloth. In some houses, a few lights are burning, but in most, it is quiet while the inhabitants dive into their dreams. Candles flickered in Jisungs room in the Presidents villa. But the boy was not alone there.

Lee Minho was with him. Jisung loved every moment he could spend with the other, and Minho loved Jisung. The two boys lay together on Jisungs silk blanket while his fingers brush Minhos face. The older one has to giggle and hides his red face in Jisungs shirt.

„Sometimes I really wonder why exactly I like you so much.“ Minho grunts into the rough fabric and sighs. Jisung smiles affectionately at the boy in his lap. „Did you just admit that you like me?“ Minho sits up jerkily. „Keep on dreaming!“ he hisses and turns around abruptly so that his back is in Jisungs face.

Changbin has a black hoodie on, the hood drawn over his head. The cold of the night creeps under the thin fabric and he exhales a white cloud of smoke. The house in front of him is not Chans, but Changbin moved here. Behind the first-floor window was someone who interested him much more than Chans nocturnal raids.

Changbin cleverly climbs the ivy banks up to the small roof ledge where he peeks carefully through the window. Felix sits at his desk, in the black pajamas that every civilian owned and apparently did homework. The younger boy groaned in frustration and punched his desk. Changbin surprised that, aggressiveness bordered on disobedience of the system.

He knocks on the cool glass of the window. Felix jumps and stares at him, stunned, before a big grin appears in his face. Changbin can feel his heart racing. The blonde opened the window and Changbin entered the room. „Civilian 251, I wish you a good night.“ Changbin says with a wry smile. Felix has to giggle and Changbins heart skips a beat at that adorable sound.

Felix casually falls onto his bed and looks at Changbin. „Why are you here? not that I'm not glad to see you …“ Changbin lies down next to Felix and tries to get his heartbeat under control. „I couldn’t sleep“, he says, turning his head to look into the younger boy's eyes.

„And I'm something like your secret sleep aid?“ giggles Felix, holding out his hand and running his fingers over Changbins cheek. „No, I'm wide awake in your presence.“ Felix smile disappears. Changbin almost thinks he said something wrong when the boy quickly presses his lips against his.

A loud knock on Felix window destroys the atmosphere. Felix groans annoyed and slips down from his bed to open the window. Chan jumps into the room, the hood of his hoodie over his face and a backpack on his back. „What's going on?“ Changbin glares at him. „You disturb.“ he replies. „Yeah, I almost thought so. I’m so sorry to bother the lucky couple, but we had a date Binniebinnie.“

„What do you have to do with Chan?“ Felix asks, crossing his arms. „We just met by chance. Do not worry, Felix, I will not steal your boyfriend.“ The blond boy turns red in the face and fires a pillow through the room. „Leave me alone, idiot.“ Chan nods and looks over at Changbin. „I'm waiting outside.“ then they are alone again in Felix 'room.

„What are you going to do?“ Changbin jumps.   
„Nothing special.“                                                                                                                                              „Then take me with you.“                                                                                                                                     „No.“

„Why not? because you’re going to break rules.“ Changbin bites on his lower lip, visibly embarrassed. „No, that's not it …" Felix snorts. „No, Binnie, that's exactly it. You will go with Chan to his raid, right?“ the older boy grabs Felix hand. „Listen to me, I do not want you to be involved in that.“ furiously, Felix pulls his hand out of Changbins grip. „Don’t you think I can decide that for myself? I'm old enough Changbin.“

Felix reaches for his backpack and pulls on his hoodie before he steps out of the window. „Come on now.“ Changbin sighs, annoyed by Felix stubborness. Chan looks up in surprise as Felix shows up next to him. „Did Changbin instigate you?“ „No!“ Felix hisses back and ignores Changbin, who comes up beside him on the floor. „Alright, let's go.“ announces Chan and claps his hands as if the three friends were going on a weekend break.

  
_I'm traveling with Changbin and Chan._   
_Keep your phone ready_   
_the two have something bad in mind._   
_\- Felix_

Minho sighs loudly and puts his phone on the bedside table. Jisung, who had closed his eyes, looked at him worriedly. „Is everything okay Min?“ Minho smiles lovingly and disheveled his hair. „Everything's okay, don’t worry, just go to sleep.“

Felix can feel his legs start to shake as Chan takes a hammer out of his backpack. "Where did you get that? We can not own any tools!" The older boy laughs when he sees the shocked face of the other. „I borrowed it from Hyunjin, do you know him? - he lives in the workshop with Seungmin.“ Felix nods. He liked Hyunjin and Seungmin, the company of the two instantly put you in a warm and family atmosphere.

„What the hell are you doing?!“ cries Felix startled as Chan hits the hammer with all his might against the window of the shop. Changbin pulls Felix into his chest and presses his cold hand on his lips. „Keep quiet, or do you want the other civilians to hear us?“

Chan pulls the two boys into the open shop. There is no alarm system, the company trusted each other. That was the big mistake of this shopkeeper. „Take what you want, tonight we're free!“ giggles Chan and whirls excitedly around in a circle. Changbin has to grin and opens his backpack. Felix stands as if frozen next to the broken window. „It's okay Felix, it will not hurt the owner.“ Changbin tells him and Felix nods.

Chan and Changbin are so busy stuffing their backpacks that none of them realizes how a big man approaches Felix. Only the frightened scream of the boy makes them pause.

„Up with you!“ a deep voice screams. „Hands over your head or I'll blow a hole in your friend's head!“ Chan and Changbin obey.

Changbins heart contracts as he sees Felix, the mans arm around his neck and a gun aimed at his head. Fear is reflected so clearly in Felix eyes as the moon on the broken glass of the window. „Let him go immediately!“ Changbin hisses and tries to look threatening.

„Or what?“ smirks the man, „will you attack me?“ the stranger laughs. „I hardly think so, I guess you want to get blondie back safely.“

„What do you want?“ Chan asks while Changbin says, „If you hurt him you'll regret it, I swear.“ Felix whimpers as the man presses the weapon closer to his head. „Weapons are illegal, why do you own one?“ Changbin drops his right hand. Due to the bad light, the man can not see that though. Desperately, he searches the shelf behind for something useful.

Changbin reaches for a heavy glass bottle, takes a deep breath, and takes out before throwing the bottle with force on the head of the stranger. The man staggers, his grip on Felix throat loosens.

Felix stumbles forward. Changbin catches him and pushes the trembling boy against his body. „I'm sorry, I should never let you come with us“, he whispers as he slides his hand reassuringly over Felix’s back. The younger boy clings to him. „Not your fault.“

A loud cursing sounds, followed by Chan moaning. Then the sound of a gunshot echoes through the dark street. Felix screams.


	4. Phase 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i‘m sorry this chapter is so short, but i‘m currently visiting a friend and i‘m  
> not at home, so please wait patiently for another two days before i can upload the next long chapter :)

Fear. It‘s the strongest emotion right after love. And Changbin can feel fear in every centimeter of his body. There‘s blood on his hands. Dark red. It stains his skin, makes his hands sticky. He feels the warm liquid run down his leg. It‘s not his blood. It‘s not even blood.

Blood isn‘t supposed to smell like cherries and sugar. The bullet has missed Felix and him and hit a jamglass in the shelf beside them. „Are you okay?“, pants Felix, eyes wide open. With shaking hands Changbin gently pats the younger boys head. „It‘s fine, i‘m okay.“

„Everyone except for this bastard!“ grunts Chan. He‘s standing above the shopkeeper. His feet are pinning the mans arms down while he dangerously aims the weapon at his head. „You asshole dare to shoot at my friends?“ he twists the mans arm with his feet. At the echoing sound of breaking bones, Felix hides his face in Changbins warm hoodie. He inhales his hyungs scent, a little bit cinnamon, a little bit smoke. Like sitting in front of a fire on christmas eve.

A loud siren sounds through the night. Red and blue lights reflect from the buildings windows on the other side of the street. Chan lets the gun fall to the groundamd frantically grabs their backpacks. „We gotta go!“ he hisses. „It‘s a bit too late for that.“ answers an unfamiliar voice.

„President Han?!“ Changbin chokes on his spit, his arm still protectively around Felix shoulder. „You idiots!“ exclaims a loud voice. Jisung appears from the dark, Minho by his side. Felix forgets how to breathe for a moment. Minho is tightly holding onto Jisungs arm, hiding behind the boy.

„What do you have to do with him?“ Changbin accusingly points at Jisung while staring at Minho. Jisungs hand comes up to gently pat the older boys arm. „Leave him alone, that‘s not the point here.“ president Han nods and walks over to the shopkeeper, still pinned to the ground by Chan.

„You broke rules, why do you own a gun civilian 112?“ the man starts to wriggle violently, trying to break free. The police officers swarm him within seconds. „Arrest him.“ orders the president with an ice-cold glare before turning to the teenagers in the room. „Jisung and Minho told me everything that happened. I‘m sorry that this man killed your dog Chan. I do understand that your emotions are harder to control at this age, so i will not report it this time. Don‘t make me regret it.“ the president nods at them before swiftly turning around and leaving the shop.

„What did you do?“ Changbin snaps at Minho. „He didn‘t do anything. He was worried about something, so i checked his phone. The second i saw Felix text message i knew this evening would end badly. Be glad i was able to convince my dad not to report your asses!“ Jisung accusingly points at Felix. Changbin glares at the boy and steps in front of Felix. „The next time this happens control your friends by yourself!“

Minhos hand comes up to softly rub against Jisungs neck. „It‘s okay, thank you so much for helping us. Please, stop.“ Chan snorts from the other side of the room where he‘s busy unwrapping a candybar. „Yes, please stop and tell us why the hell you‘re here, together with the presidents son. You two seem close.“ Minho swallows. „I like him.“ he says, eyes focused on the broken glass underneath his sneakers. „We‘re going. Let‘s go Minho, come on.“ Jisung tugs at the older boys shirt. Felix, Changbin and Chan stare after the two boys.

„Did Lee freaking Minho just say he likes Han Jisung?“ Felix can only nod. „Why did you text Minho in the first place?!“ yells Changbin at Felix now. The blonde boy starts to shake. „God, don‘t be mad at me, please. I was so afraid this entire trip would go wrong so i alarmed him.“ Chan gave Changbin a warning look. The boy sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose before pulling Felix close again to bury his nose in his neck. „It‘s fine, i‘m sorry. Thank you.“

_Wake up!, a loud voice booms through his head and makes the sturdy walls of his prison shake at the impact. The boy throws his fists up. Stop fighting, commands another voice. „Let me out!“ that is the first time ever that he had used his voice. A voice...the boy had no idea what it was before he used it. Help is coming soon, a gentle voice persuades him, hold on. He will hold on. And he will be ready._

 


	5. Phase 5: the walls break down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry it took me so long to update,  
> i was having a writers block.  
> I'll do my best for the next chapter,   
> the action is starting ;)

A week passed without any special events. Almost, anyway. Woojin noticed that Chan had stopped visiting the school. And that grumpy Changbin clinged on to Felix. Felix was busy putting a chocolate bar in Changbins mouth when Woojin entered the classroom. He tries to ignore them and sits down in his assigned seat. He catches himself looking over at the door again and again. He hopes that the boy storms into the room with a loud remark, but Chan is not coming. With a disappointed sigh, Woojin drops back into his chair.

Why is he even interested in where Chan is? This question buzzes in Woojins mind as he puts the files in the archive of the government building. He likes the archive. It is surrounded by high shelves, filled with the life stories of all civilians. He feels powerful in this room, almost untouchable. He was no one who was eager for power and fame, he feels small. And he hated that.

He is not allowed to read the files, but when he discovers Chans civilian number his fingers are tingling with excitement. He looks around but can not find anyone. Then he pulls the thin cardboard from the shelf and opens the folder. Chans name, address, hair color and other data are listed, nothing interesting. At least that's what he thinks before he looks at the edge of the documents.

Civilian 001 is prohibited from visiting public facilities. Condemned for shoplifting. Must stay under observation. Dangerous.

Woojin inhales sharply. That did not sound good to the boy at all. Felix file was right next to Chans. Woojin also opens this. His eyes wander over the information, now and then he must yawn bored. Then he drops the folder in fright. The cardboard falls to the floor with a thump, the papers fly out. Woojins heart is throbbing in his ears, he’s getting hot. Felix is not a normal civilian.

Seungmin and Hyunjin are sitting in the large conference room. The air is stuffy and Seungmin disgustedly pulls up the sweat-soaked fabric of his civilian uniform. Hyunjin has to giggle. „Behave, please, this is what decides our future.“ with glittering eyes Hyunjin crossed his fingers with Seungmins.

The room is scary on the two. It is completely white, with huge windows. Lush sculptures are scattered in the open corners, strong-smelling flowers hang from the ceiling. On a wall even a waterfall ripples. Seungmin liked the waterfall the most. He liked things that gave an aura of freedom and strength. Like Hyunjin.

The automatic door opens and the president, followed by other men pour into the room. Everyone bowed politely before President Han looks at Seungmin. „I am sorry, but we ask you to wait outside, this conversation concerns only us and civilian 953.“ Seungmin has to swallow and gives Hyunjin a questioning look. He just nods. „Wait outside, I'll be right with you.“ So Seungmin goes with a bad feeling in the stomach.

After an hour staring at the ceiling and counting the tiles, Seungmin is bored. So he gets up, knocks the dust off his pants and decides to look around. It was not forbidden, so it won’t be a problem. In the beginning, he only discovers office space, but he gets interested when he sees a door with warning signs.

The door is not locked. Seungmin carefully turns the doorknob and pushes it open. It is dark. He slips into the room and closes the door silently behind him. Then he blindly gropes for a light switch. He finds it easily. The light flickers and blinds the boy. At first glance, the room looks like a laboratory.

Everywhere are containers with different colored liquids. In some there is something that could have been an animal. Open books with drawings and notes are scattered everywhere. This reminds Seungmin of Hyunjins workshop. His thoughts wander. He sees his boyfriend with a pen behind his ear as he chews on his lips in frustration. In front of him lies an open sketchbook. The drawing of a machine, only half finished.

Seungmin continues to explore the lab. Interested, he leans over the large folder, crammed with faded and torn documents.

„Object 1 shows no change, blood collection, blood shows traces of new defense bodies, brother behaves normally, no change, new dose injected.“ he reads from a sheet. He folds his forehead. That does not sound good. What is this dose? who or what is the object? he turns around. And screams. In front of him is a large tube filled with a bluish substance. In it stands a boy, connected to tubes. Needles are in his arms. Object 1 stands in big letters on the pipe. It is a human experiment.

Seungmin gets closer to the boy. Was he sleeping? was he even alive? His hair fell over his face in silky, dark brown strands. He seemed young, maybe just 16. And he had freckles. Freckles that nobody in society possessed. Except for Felix.

Woojin could feel something was wrong. Chan was classified as dangerous. And he was gone. So where was he? Woojin folds Felix documents and puts them in his pants. He has to find Chan and Felix with him. He did not have much time left.

Woojin runs tense through the corridors, looking around again and again like a hunted animal. He collides with a woman. He apologizes quickly. „Seoyoung, what happens to civilians who are considered dangerous?“ he asks casually. The woman is frowning. „Why do you ask that? Did you look in the files?“ Woojin can feel his heart stop. Seoyoung smiles conspiratorially at him.

„I did that in the beginning too. Don’t worry, i won’t tell anyone. To answer your question, most of the time, dangerous civilians are locked in cells, downstairs.“ Woojin thanks and watches Seoyoung until she disappears. And then he runs.

Hyunjin crosses his arms. „You want me to do something?“ he asks in disbelief. President Han lifts his hands placatingly and smiles gently. „I know it sounds weird, but believe me, it's only for the good of society. This project is designed to help dangerous civilians and prisoners live a normal life again.“

Hyunjin brushes his hair in frustration. „So I'm supposed to develop chips and a software to control peoples thoughts?“ Han nods and leans back contentedly in his chair. „After this project, you will surely be happy. If it succeeds, you can live how you wish. I have noticed that you seem to like your assistant very much.“ Hyunjin swallows and hysterically starts to cough.

President Han pricks his lips. „This is your chance, my boy.“ Hyunjin did not feel well. He was cornered. „Can I think about it?“ President Han nods.

His eyes follow Hyunjin as he goes to the door, as a lion stares at his prey. „Think well about your decision. You know the plans that ordinary civilians do not know. Should you not choose us ... well, we don’t want anything to happen to Seungmin, right?“ the mischievous laughter of the man haunts Hyunjin as he rushes out of the room, his heart pounding.


	6. Phase 6: a story from the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is a chapter that includes the story before anything happened,  
> you should read it to get a little background :)  
> enjoy ! <3

**_A few years ago…_ **

The dome was built. Areum took her companions hand. „Choi, we have to talk to the others.“ the man at her side nods grimly. „We had an agreement, the dome must not threaten our villages!“ Areum looks disgusted at the thick glass and the city behind it.

„The people there will not stick to our agreement Areum, look at what they've built there!“ Chois eyes sparkled angrily under his black bangs. „The sign on the containers is a clear warning sign for weapons. What would they need weapons for if not to attack us with them?"

Areums hand sweeps reassuringly over Chois back. „Do not worry too much, my dear. Let's talk to the others.“

Choi has always admired the tranquility of Areum. Her blond hair fell thick-curled over her tanned skin. On her gentle face she had painted white signs and her freckles were darker than usual. She was the warmest person Choi had ever met.

He had never understood why she married Donghae. The man was the exact opposite of that petite woman. He was tall, muscular and sometimes very scary. But the two had one thing in common. Anyone who tried to harm their family should pray that he would experience the next day.

Nothing in this world meant more to Areum than her husband and her two sons. The older boy was decidedly smart, even if he was not older than seven. The younger one was clumsy, but a happy child. His big brother loved him a lot and everybody saw that.  
The children of Areum and Donghae were the first kids after years in the village. The healer had called them a miracle. Never would the villagers have thought that this harmonious family would be destroyed.

Donghae remembered the blood that discolored his clothes and stuck to his fingers. The limp body in his arms, pressed tight against his chest. The rain was cold that day.

Areum and Choi came back to the village when it happened. Large SUVs, men in suits and respirators. The dome people, who could not survive long outside due to their weak immune system if they do not breathe artificial air.

The woman ran to her husband, who guarded the entrance to her hut like a dog. „Donghae!“ her soft voice reached his ears. „Areum, what are these people doing here?“ Areum shook her head. „I don’t know, but the dome! the dome, Donghae, it’s done, and they have containers full of weapons!“

The click of a weapon was heard. Areum turned around carefully and looked at the men. A pistol was aimed at her head. As well as the heads of other people in the village. "What do you want?" Donghae growls and steps in front of his wife.

The man licked his brittle lips before speaking. „I was told you got two sons.“ Donghaes expression darkened suddenly. „AND?“ his dark voice thundered.

A malicious grin appeared on the man's face in front of them. With a nod, he sent two of his soldiers forward. „Get the two boys and take them with you.“

Areums heart missed a beat. „We didn’t do anything to you! we have an agreement!“ she screamed. The crying and yelling of two children was heard as their sons were dragged out of the tent.

„No!“ she leapt forward, her arms outstretched toward her children. „Mummy!“ her eldest son looked at her helplessly, his eyes watering with tears. „Stay away from my boys!“ she leapt forward, striking the armored chest of the soldier. Donghae pulled her back. „Why are you doing nothing?!“ she yelled at her husband. He pointed to the soldier behind him.

„Another move and I'll shoot you in front of your kids.“ Terrified, Areum and Donghae had to watch their frightened children being forced into one of the SUVs. Her youngster clung crying to his brother. The soldiers went back to their cars, one after the other.

The man with the pistol let out a hoarse laugh. „Do not be sad, with us they have a longer quality of life and a greater benefit. They now serve the common good, my beauty.“

Donghae pushed the man away. He bowed mockingly and ran to a SUV which was waiting with open door and tempered engine.

Areum started running. Donghae wanted to hold her, calm her down and say that they would find their children, but she was faster. The reaction of the soldiers followed shortly.

A loud bang sounded. A flash of light, a scream from Areums mouth. „MUMMY!“ the voice of her eldest son. The SUVs were gone. Donghae fell to his knees and pulled Areums body closer to himself.

She shivered, thunder sounded. The cold rain washed the sweat and all the blood from her body. „Donghae“, her fingers wrapped around his. „"romise me you'll find our sons again, promise me, get our Felix back ... Felix and …“ her breathing became heavier. She died, her eyes closed. Donghae could never confirm her promise.


	7. Phase 7: the first curtain falls

Woojins heart pounded in his chest as he pressed the button for the prisoners wing. He kept muttering Chans name as he ran through the corridor. „Woojin!“ he turns around. Chan, his face pressed against the bars of his cell, grins at him. „Are you my noble knight?“ Woojin has to giggle. „Maybe. Chan, we have a big problem.“

The younger one is eyeing Woojin. „How big?“ Woojin opens Chans cell with shaky fingers. „Bigger than you can imagine.“ Chan beams with satisfaction as he steps into the hallway. „We have to go to Felix right now, I'll explain everything on the way.“ Chan nods and in seconds he kisses Woojin on the cheek before he runs off in a hoot. „Come on!“ Woojin stays behind and strokes his cheek with an incredulous look.

Seungmin frantically searches the drawers of the desk. There is a lock on the tube, he just has to find the key. The blue liquid bubbles quietly, but the boy ignores the sound as his fingers brush against cold metal. He holds the key in the light, a satisfied smile on his lips. With a racing heart, he sets himself to unlock the tube.

He was not prepared for an alarm. Seungmin pulls the tubes and needles out of the boys arms in a matter of seconds and lifts the limp body onto his back. There was only one single thought left in his body: get out of here right now.

No one meets Seungmin in the hall as he runs down the stairs with a racing heart. The building seems completely empty, giving Seungmin a dangerous sense of self-confidence. He has mercilessly overrated himself. From a side a troop of soldiers appears. Seungmin has to go away, immediately, but he would never be able to leave the nameless boy on his back behind.

He keeps running, although his legs almost give. His throat is burning, he can hardly breathe. The cool metal of a pistol against his head makes him stop. „Are not you Hyunjins little helper? that fits our situation. Lock him and the other boy up!“

Hyunjin reaches his workshop and opens the door. „Seungmin!“ he calls for his boyfriend, but no one answers. „Damn, where are you!“ Hyunjin gets on his knees and tears his hair in despair. That must have been the threat of President Han. Seungmin has to be held somewhere in the government building. Maybe something has already been done to him. Hyunjin needs help. He needs Chan and Changbins help. And he needs it quickly.

Chan and Woojin reach Felix House at the same time. Music came from Felix room and the light was switched on. The blond boy was home. Woojin snorts and rests against the wall of the house. „Are you really that exhausted already?“ Chan asks and grins. „Just be quiet and knock on the damn door.“

„We're not going through the door you idiot.“ Chan grunts back and points to the ivy banks behind him. „We're going up there now.“ Woojin hates Chan. With trembling hands, he pulls himself onto the roof ledge. „That was a terrible idea.“ he gasps, laying dramatically on his back and closing his eyes.

„Don’t always be so dramatic princess.“ laughs Chan and reaches out to pull up Woojin. Grinning, he grabs Chans hand and pulls him down with all his strength. Chan stumbles over Woojins leg, which causes him to lay down on Woojin. The two are so close that their nasal tips touch each other. Woojin does not dare to breathe. Chan feels blush. „We should go to Felix now.“ Woojin nods and gets up quickly.

Felix is in his room, but he is not alone. Changbin is with him. Both lie on the bed, arms and legs intertwined. Chan smiles gently. „It's about time.“ Woojin looks at him confused. „Felix willfully violates the system? Remarkably.“

Chan knocks vigorously against the window. Felix stares at him open-mouthed as Changbin gets up to let them in. „Where the hell were you!“ Changbin hisses and pushes Chan against the wall. „Do you know how worried we were?!“ Woojin stands in front of Chan. „You can not blame him for being locked up.“

Felix looks at the two confused. „You were locked up, and where? And why?“ Changbin puts his arms around Felix. „I was classified as dangerous. The President has sent his soldiers to capture me.“ Felix frowns. „And why exactly are not you in your cell?“

Chan grins Woojin conspiratorially. „Oh my God.“ breathes Changbin. „You got him out.“ Woojin nods, a small smile on his lips. „Yes, and I have to discuss something with Felix, because we have to get everyone out of here right now.“

Another knock on Felix window makes everyone flinch. Hyunjins face appears on the glass. „What is he doing here?“ Woojin asks, but he opens the window without asking further questions. „Great, now we have a conference here.“ Hyunjins eyes are filled with tears. „You have to help me, it's about Seungmin.“

„So you tell us that President Han wants to influence the thoughts of the civilians?“ Hyunjin nods again and chews nervously on his bloody lower lip. „I can not find Seungmin, Chan, he still has to be there.“ Felix lays his hand on his back. „Don’t worry, we'll help you get him back.“

„We need an escape plan, we have no chance of getting out there unseen.“ Changbin plays with Felix hair. „We have to get out of the dome, maybe we'll find shelter in the outer provinces.“ Woojin shakes his head.

„We can not get out there unprotected, dome people can’t breathe the thin air out there. We need the respiratory masks from the soldiers' troops.“ everyone nods. „Then we need Jisungs help.“ says Hyunjin.

„What did you want to tell me, Woojin?“ Felix turns to the boy. Woojin opens his mouth, but he is interrupted by a shrill sound. The wristwatch on his wrist shows a red message. „I have to go back to the president for an emergency session.“ says Woojin and gets up. „We meet there.“ Chan says and watches him as Woojin jumps out of the window and runs away.

Jisung sees his father pacing excitedly. „What's happening?“ he asks worriedly. „We have a problem, Jisung, a prisoner fled and our project was released from his tube!“ Jisung frowns. „What project?“ his father stops. „Nothing important, I have to go.“ then he storms past the confused boy.  
After his father left, Jisung looks around his office. Something big was going on, and he did not like it. An open notebook on the table made him curious. He carefully picked up the book and read the first page. The blood froze in his veins.

„Project Lee Minho - successful.“ Jisung dropped the book. He must go to Minho immediately.


	8. Phase 8: a broken heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yes omg i am alive  
> i'm so sorry this chapter is so short,  
> but i promise the next one will be long as heck!<3

Woojin tries to stay calm as he sits down in the conference room. President Han is already there, with a strained face he sits in his chair and folds his hands. „My dears, this meeting must be kept secret at all costs.“ Soldiers enter the room, holding large metal rings in their hands. „And to keep it secret, we'll put those shackles on you.“ Woojin can barely react, the fetlock is already at his foot.

The boy feels panic spreading in his body. He was supposed to get out of the building right away when Chan and the others arrive here. „With these shackles it is guaranteed that you do not leave the city, so we can find you again.“ a mischievous grin appears on Hans face. „Now we can start.“

Jisung stands panting in the hallway of Minhos home. The older boy looks questioningly at him and puts his hand on his back. „Is everything alright?“ Jisung shakes his head and grabs Minhos hand. „What did my dad do to you?“

„What? Nothing.“ Minho answers, frowning. „You stand in his documents as a project, Minho. As a successful project!“ Jisung looks deep into his warm brown eyes of his boyfriend. „Please, please tell me what he did to you.“

Tears rise in Minhos eyes. „He threatened to separate us, lock me away. So I agreed to be a project for him. He injected me some weird blue-colored liquid. I do not know what it was for.“

„Fuck, Minho, you don’t even know what the damn stuff was for?“ Minho shakes his head and stares at the floor. Jisung sighs and hugs the trembling boy. „Do you feel any changes?“ he shakes his head again. „Minho, listen carefully, you have to find your friends. Stay away from my dad and me. Something big is going to happen, you need to get out of here right now.“

„What?“ Minho stammered, stunned. „If something bad happens you come with me!“ Jisung looks at him with sad eyes. „I can’t leave here, if my father is up to something dangerous, I have to stay here and dissuade him.“ Minho clings to Jisungs shirt like a drowning man to his lifeboat. „Don’t leave me.“

Jisung strokes reassuringly on Minhos hair. „I'll find you, understand? I'll find you.“ Minho nods while silent tears run down his cheek. Jisung takes his face between his hands. „I'll come back to you.“ and he seals this promise with a heartfelt kiss.

Minho does exactly what Jisung wanted. He makes his way to Felix just to find an empty house and a letter. The letter, hastily written, is for his parents. Felix is gone, with him the other boys. He must catch up with them immediately before they leave the city without him.


	9. Phase 9: we were always meant to say goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aaaand another chapter! ^-^  
> i know that the side ships got more attention than changlix,  
> but i promise that'll change in the next chapter ;D  
> for now enjoy this!<3

It was easy to find Jisung. Just as the group of boys reached the government building, he also came around the corner. „Jisung!“ cries Felix, waving the bewildered boy over. „What are you doing here, where is Minho?“ Changbin looks at him confused. „Why should Minho be with us?“ „Because I sent him to you!“ Jisung yells in panic.

„Okay, calm down, what about Minho?“ Chan asks, resting his warm hands on Jisungs shoulder. „My dad did experiments on him“, he says, „I found out today. You need to find him right away and leave the city with him. My dad is planning something big, and I do not want to have Minho anywhere near him if his plan is successful.“

„What experiments?“ Felix asks. „I do not know, I'm here to find out. Damn it, I never wanted Minho to get hurt.“ Hyunjin gives Jisung a small smile. „We know that, you love Minho just as I love Seungmin. Jisung, we need your help.“

Jisung vigorously wipes the tears out of the corner of her eye. „How can I help you?“ Chan grins conspiratorially. „You have to get us breathing masks for outside, we'll get Woojin and Seungmin, find Minho, and then we'll leave this filthy city.“ Jisung nods. „I'll help you. Find your friends, I'll wait for you at the East Exit.“ Changbin holds him by the sleeve. „What about you?“ Jisung smiles sadly. „I can’t leave, this is my dad! I have to be the one to stop him.“

Felix rushes forward and hugs Jisung. „I know we aren’t close friends, but please take care of yourself.“ the older boy is laughing softly. „Come on, do not get emotional. We have a mission to do.“ Felix nods. „I'm going ahead. Hurry up.“ Jisung waves at them, then he is gone.

„He’s not that bad.“ Hyunjin notices and distributes his homemade weapons to the boys. Felix jaw drops as he looks at the hinged knife in his hand. „What is this blade made of?“ he asks, stroking it with his fingertip. Hyunjin smiles as he notices the puzzled look on Felix face. „This is metal, Felix, the knives you know are made of plastic.“

Seungmin hates his cell. The floor is gray, the wall is gray, the ceiling is gray. The boy has now woken up, but he has not spoken a word. The soldiers brought him clothes, Seungmin helped him to get dressed. Silence. „What are you thinking about?“ Seungmin is startled. The boy looks questioningly at him with his big childish eyes and cute freckles on his cheeks.

„I think of my boyfriend.“ he replies. The boy is smiling dreamily and Seungmin has to grin. He was really cute. „Would you like to tell me your name?“ the boy looks at him suspiciously. „Object 1.“ Seungmin shakes his head. „No, I mean your real name, kid.“ the boy frowns. „Jeongin.“ Seungmin gently smiles at him and holds out his hand. Jeongin grabs it carefully. „Nice to meet you, Jeongin. Don’t worry, my friends will get us out of here.“

The government building is completely empty. Chan assumes that the workers are all in the meeting where Woojin is. „Okay, we’ll split up. Felix, Changbin, you go with Hyunjin and get Seungmin, I’ll look for Woojin.“ everyone nods. „We’ll meet with Jisung at the east entrance, be careful!“

Chan starts running, straight into the open elevator. He hits as hard as he can on the button for the first floor. The elevator closes with a loud crunch and starts to move. Impatiently, Chan teeters back and forth on his heel until the door reopens. He can hear President Hans dull voice, so Chan cautiously sneaks along the wall down the corridor. He can see Woojin. His heart jumps excitedly. Everything is okay.

Hyunjin, Changbin, and Felix set out for the Prisoner Wing, which for some reason was not guarded. With a raised eyebrow, Felix looks at the open door. „Something’s wrong, why would they just leave the prisoners unguarded?“ Hyunjin shrugs. „Stay alert, keep your weapons out. We’re going in there now, understand?“ Changbins grip on his knife tightened. The dogged look on his face almost scared Felix.

Felix let his free hand wander into Changbins. The older boy gave him such a gentle smile that Felix was afraid his heart would explode. „We can do it, okay?“ Felix nods and leans his forehead briefly against Changbins. „We'll get out of here, right?“ Changbin nods. „Of course.“

„Come on!“ Hyunjin snarls impatiently and disappears through the open door. Felix rolls his eyes and pulls Changbin after him. Hyunjin runs down the long hallway, his shoes so loud on the hard floor Changbin fears Someone might hear them. Hyunjin screams and stops at a cell. „Seungmin!“

Seungmin jumps when he discovers Hyunjin in front of his cell. „Finally you are here!“ Felix and Changbin clear their throat. „Glad to see you again, too.“ laughs Changbin. Seungmin nods thankfully. „We'll get you out of here now, give me a second.“ Hyunjin says and puts his knife between the latch and the door frame.

„Who is this?“ Changbin asks and points to the other boy next to Seungmin. „That's Jeongin, I saved him from the lab and we'll take him with us.“ nobody asks big questions. It was obvious that they could not leave this helpless-looking boy to his fate. „Do we know each other?“ Jeongin asks suddenly and eyes Felix insistently. He shakes his head. „Not that I know, but it's nice to meet you. My name is Felix.“

The door opens. Seungmin immediately runs into Hyunjins arms. He drops his knife and presses the boy to him. „Are you okay?“ Hyunjin is shaking. Seungmin shakes his head and buries his face in Hyunjins shoulder. „Everything’s okay, I'm unharmed. But now we have to get out of here right now.“

Woojin screams as he is dragged into a dark room. He was just released from the meeting and now he is being kidnapped? Today is really not his lucky day. „Woojin, it's me, Chan.“ Woojin stops struggling and falls against Chans body. „Come on, we'll take off.“ Chan whispers into Woojins hair.

He lets himself be dragged down the hall by Chan without resistance. They are not stopped. Nobody gives the boys much attention. Until an alarm goes off. Chan swears and pushes Woojin quickly into the emergency exit leading to the east entrance. „The others must have triggered it when they opened Seungmins cell.“ explains Woojin. „You have to go.“ he says and turns to Chan.

Chan grabs Woojins hand. „Okay, go!“ Woojin lets go of him. „You have to go without me.“ Chan stares at him stunned. „What?“ „I'll go in and stop the alarm, I'll tell everyone it was a false alarm. Chan, I can not leave the city.“ Chan takes Woojins face in his hands and looks him deep in the eyes. „Yes, you can. We will take you with us, please, come now!“

Woojin pulls up his pants and points to his foot. „This shackle sends my location as soon as I leave the city, I can not go away without putting you all in danger.“ Chan growls and frantically pinches the metal ring around Woojins foot. „Chan, stop it, you're wasting precious time. Please, just leave without me.“

Tears are reflected in Chans eyes as he gets up again. „Go“, whispers Woojin. Chan nods and it breaks his heart. „We'll get you out of here, Woojin. I won’t leave you behind.“

Woojin grabs Chan and pulls him to him. His lips meet Chans and he forgets everything around him for a few seconds. Out of breath, the two separate from each other. Woojin stays in Chans arms until he can breathe normally again and then he opens the door behind him and disappears without another word. Chan storms down the stairs. His throat burned, but that was nothing compared to his burning heart.


	10. Phase 10: the people we left behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry it took me so long to update! :(

Felix was terrified. Hyunjin had Seungmin on hand, while he and Changbin helped the strange boy run. Red lights illuminate the corridors, the sound of screams and heavy boots can be heard. Changbin gives Felix a desperate look as he stumbles again.

„Come on! Faster!“ Hyunjin calls from the front and presses the heavy steel door into the stairwell. Felix pushes Jeongin and Changbin through the door as he discovers soldiers behind him. „Go on!“ he drops the door into the lock. „No, Felix come back immediately!“ Changbin screams in panic, but the blond boy is already running down the hall.

Felix tears open the door to an office and slams it shut behind him. The sudden sound of another person behind him makes Felix freeze. „Who do we have here?“ The deep voice of President Han sounds. Felix stops breathing shortly.

„Felix …" the man whispers softly as he looks at him closely. „I have to go!“ Felix says and reaches blindly for the doorknob. „No!“ President Han grabs his arms and pushes him against the door. „Felix, we need you, he's gone, you have to take his place …" the Presidents eyes are almost black, his wild hair made him look like a madman. Felix quickly raised his knee.

The Presidents hands relax as he feels the pain of Felix knee. He lets go of him. In a few seconds the boy is out of the room again. He isn’t feeling well. Fear spreads in every inch of his body. Then he hears the loud clicking of guns. He races frantically down the hall.

The soldiers take up the chase. Felix sprints down the nearest staircase as fast as he can. He skids, bangs against the wall and tears off his sleeve. Blood drips down his arm, hot and sticky. He has to think about his mothers hot chocolate, which she made him every night when he couldn’t fall asleep. Felix wants to cry, throw himself in the arms of his parents, but he knows that he will never see them again.

The steps are getting closer. He almost wants to throw himself on the floor, surrendering. _I'm sorry Changbin_ , he thinks as he slows his steps. Shortly before the soldiers reach him, he is forcibly dragged into a room.

„What do you think you are doing?“ Woojin grins at him. „Woojin why are not you with Chan?“ Felix wraps his arms around the other boy. „Listen, I can’t leave here, I'll help you out of here and then you take the others and disappear.“ Tears glisten in Woojins dim eyes. Felix nods. „Okay, promise.“

Carefully, Woojin opens the door and looks out into the corridor. „We have to go.“ Felix follows him without a word. Surprisingly, they make it into the hallway that leads to the east exit without an unpleasant encounter. Woojin gives Felix a shoulder and gives him an encouraging smile. „You can do it. Take care of yourself. Take care of Chan.“ Felix feels a tear drip down his cheek.

„You really care about him, right?! Woojins smile disappears. „Promise me to keep him from coming back for me. He can’t come back. It does not matter what happens to me, but he has to stay safe.“ Felix nods frantically and buries his face in Woojins white civilian uniform. „Stay alive.“ „I'll try. Now go, the others are waiting for you.“

Jisung presents the masks to the boys. Changbin impatiently steps on the spot. „I have to go back, I have to get Felix!“ Chan holds him tight. „Felix is smart, Binnie, he'll be right here. I promise.“ Jeongin stands next to Jisung and talks softly to him.

Hyunjin is sitting against the wall, Seungmin pressed tight against him. Changbins heart hurts when he sees Hyunjin lovingly stroking his boyfriend's hair. „He will not leave you behind Changbin.“ and Chan is right, because the blond boy is running towards them.

Changbin breaks free and runs towards Felix. Just before they meet, Felix jumps into his arms. His legs are wrapped around Changbins hip and his lips are pressed against Changbins. „I was so scared, never do that again!“ hisses the older one. Felix buries his hands in Changbins hair and smiles gently. „Promised.“ then he kisses him again.

Jisung clears his throat loudly. „You have to go.“ he gives Felix his mask. Jeongin immediately turns to Felix side. He trusts him strangely. „Is everything alright?“ he asks the boy, who nods curtly. „Why does not he have a mask?“ Hyunjin asks.

„He told me that he came from the outer provinces, he does not need them.“ Seungmin nods thoughtfully. „I have to go to my dad now, you go now and find Minho. Then you’ll leave this damn city.“ Jisung orders. Everyone hugs the other boy, silent thank you's. Jisung knows that. Then he leaves them behind.


	11. Phase 11: i'm bulletproof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry i took so long again,  
> but enjoy this chapter :) <3

Minho is not far from the government building when the sirens start. His heart stops beating. Immediately there is only one panicked thought in his head. Jisung, Jisung, Jisung.

He starts running, his sneakers squeak on the asphalt. Minho knows it is forbidden to run, but he ignores it. He only wants to get to Jisung. He doesn't care that he’s a project of Jisungs father, Minho just wants to make sure that his boyfriend is fine. Minho is so engrossed in his thoughts that he does not notice how fast he really is. Because he runs faster than a person should be able to.

Felix holds Changbins hand while the group of boys runs through the dim evening. The older boy always looks back to make sure he's still behind him. Chan runs first, peeks around the corners of the house and suddenly stops abruptly so that the others run into his back.

„There are soldiers in front!“ he hisses. Hyunjin buries his hands in his pocket, his fingers tight around the knife he carries with him.

Seungmin squeals in alarm as he looks behind him. „We must go on, there are other soldiers in the back!“ Seungmin hisses at the others. „You keep running, okay? I’ll stay here and distract them. We’ll meet later, do not worry darling“, Hyunjin turns to Seungmin and lays his forehead against his. „I will not lose you again.“

„Please come with me!“ says Seungmin. Hyunjin shakes his head. „Just go, it's okay. I’ll get back to you. I've got explosives with me, I'll put them in different places so the soldiers get distracted.“

„I don’t like the idea of separating, but that could really give us a lot of time.“ Chan says and nods to Hyunjin. „I will come back.“ he promises and quickly gives Seungmin a kiss on the lips before running around the corner.

The view in front of Woojins eyes is blurred. He feels the coarse grip in his hair and the warm blood running down his temple. His body is mercilessly dragged across the rough floor. „Chan …" he mumbles. He longingly hopes that he appears and helps him. But that does not happen.

Woojin is almost happy about that, because that means that Chan is safe, that he and the boys have managed to escape. But the fear of death holds his heart in its icy claws. Blood runs over his tongue. When did his nose start to bleed? he doesn’t know.

He is getting sick. The soldier who has pulled him down presses him firmly into a chair. He can hardly fight back when his hand is chained. „You’ll stay here until we find your friends!“ the soldier hisses. He leaves the room. Woojin is left alone in the dark.

Tears run down his cheek. Woojin bites his lower lip hard to keep himself from screaming. He hates the darkness. His own breath echoes from the walls. His heart is racing, his fingers are cramping. „Chan!“ he roars his name over and over again until he is hoarse. Why does nobody help him?

Jisung slams the door to his fathers office. „What the hell are you doing?“ he hisses at him. „My dear son, good that you are here. We have something big ahead of us and I need you for support.“

„I will not help you! Tell me what's going on here. What have you done to Minho!“ Jisung screams in rage. „So you really care about the boy?“ his father grins mockingly. „It was really too easy to manipulate him. He truly is a loyal person, unfortunately a bit too loyal.“

„Come along!“ his father grabs Jisung by the collar and drag him across the corridor into the lab. Jisung gasps. „This was my pride!“ his father points accusingly to an empty tube filled with blue fluid.

„Guess what, my dear“, says President Han, tightening the grip on Jisungs neck. „I put a boy from the outer provinces in here, turned his blood into a cure! we were so close, I gave the cure to Minho, helped him develop inhumane powers!“ Jisung can not breathe, he desperately pulls on his fathers hands. „I'm sorry, my son.“ he says softly. „Now I need a new experiment after Minho has disappeared. I guess you have to go into the tube.“

Hyunjin fixes the last explosive when he discovers the other guys in a corner. He jogs over. Seungmin pulls him into his arms with relief, while Jeongin gently smiles at him. The boy was just too cute. Changbin frantically examined Felix forehead, where blood was running down. „He was hit by a rock.“ Chan explains quickly.

„Come on, we have to get away before the explosives ignite.“ Hyunjin says and seizes Seungmins hand. „Not so fast!“ an unknown voice screams. Two soldiers, the rifles aimed at the boys. Changbin steps protectively in front of Felix. Jeongin's body trembles with fear. Chan pulls the boy in his side.

„Give us the boys.“ Seungmin frowns. „Why do you say that in plural?“ the one soldier points to Felix. „We need him too.“ Changbin reaches for Felix Hand and clings to him. „Only over my dead body.“ a wicked grin spreads across the soldiers lips. „That can be aligned.“ He loads the gun. Hyunjin reacts faster than Felix can. He lunges in front of Changbin and tries to fend off the bullet with his body. He is seized by a strong gust of wind.

„Minho?“ Felix asks in surprise. The boy is standing in front of them, sweat on his forehead. „Since when are you able to run so fast?“ Felix Blick wanders over to the soldiers. „And when did you take the two out?“ Minho smiles at him and helps Changbin to his feet while Seungmin takes care of Hyunjin. „Let's go!“ Chan calls, Jeongin pressed close to him.

„Let's go!“ Changbin says and twists his fingers between Felix fingers, pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek. „Okay.“


	12. Phase 12: stronger than heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter :(  
> but here you go!<3

  
Surprisingly, the group of boys made it unnoticed to the exit of the dome. Tourists and small hiking groups had already started to stand at the exits. Each individual gave his civilian number. „We can not do that, Chan!“ hisses Changbin. „They aren’t allowed to know our numbers.“

„Then we have to go through it differently.“ Minho says and looks around. Felix clings to Changbin. The blond boy was exhausted, tired and hungry, but they had no chance to turn back. „And how?“ Seungmin nudges Hyunjin. „You're smart, you can sneak into one of the towers and shut down the system. We’ll give them wrong numbers and that's it.“

„Not that stupid.“ Jeongin stayed quiet and watched the others curiously. „Minho, you can run so fast, right? you’ll go with Hyunjin.“ Chan says and Minho nods. „The rest is waiting here, understood?“

Seungmin quickly gives Hyunjin a kiss on the cheek. Minho averts his eyes. His heart screams for Jisung, but the other boy is gone and he does not know if he will ever see Jisung again. Then Minho grabs Hyunjins hand and pulls him away.

Chan sits down on a park bench and sighs softly. His whole body hurts. Jeongin falls on the bench next to him. „Is everything okay with you?“ the boy’s voice is low, uncertain, but Chan must smile as he hears him speak. „Not really no, how are you kid?“ Jeongin shrugs. „Sometimes it feels like my body is on fire and then it's gone again. I do not know what's wrong with me.“

Chan puts his hand on the young mans forehead. „You have no fever, maybe it's the experiments that were done to you.“ Jeongin nods absently and chews on his lower lip. „Chan hyung, you miss somebody, right?“ Chan looks at him questioningly. „Woojin? oh right, you have not met yet.“

„Who is Woojin?“ Jeongin asks. „Someone who saved my ass. Someone I like a lot. I should not have left him behind, who knows what's going on with him now? I should have helped him..“ Chan cried so loudly that the other boys noticed. Changbin and Felix broke away from each other to hug Chan. Seungmin patted his knee reassuringly. Jeongin remained silent.

Woojin screams. It felt like he had been tied to this chair for years. The soldier in front of him screams questions at him, questions to which he has no answer, or to which he does not want to answer. For every refusal, the man took out and hit him head-on in the face. Woojin tasted blood on his tongue. His only thought was for Chan and the others. He hoped they were safe.

It hurts. The tubes in Jisungs arm, the bluish fluid that surrounded his body. His father was a monster. Jisung pounding against the hard glass of the tube. It's getting hard to breathe. Do not faint, do not fall asleep! he warned himself over and over again. Jisung had to get out of the tube quickly.

Minho and Hyunjin had made it to the control tower with the help of Minhos speed. The two boys press against the hard wall and look carefully around the corner behind the technical room. „Are you ready?“ Minho asks and looks questioningly at Hyunjin. „I am, let's go!“

Minho runs with such ease against the door that it breaks loose. „Come on!“ he shouts to Hyunjin, who comes running into the room. Immediately they are greeted by many machines, buttons and cables.

„Do you understand what you have to do?“ Hyunjin nods and pulls a multitool out of his pocket. „Cut three cables and the whole system is down.“ he cuts two red and one yellow cable. „Done.“ Minho whistles. „Really impressive.“

The boys are about to leave the room when two soldiers run down the hall. Both wear wristwatches that made a shrill sound. „An alarm!“ whispers Hyunjin and pulls Minho with the speed of light in the closet behind them. „Quiet!“ he hisses and hugs Minho, his hand over his mouth.

Time passed. Hyunjin and Minho had sat down and waited for the soldiers to leave the room. „Are you okay?“ Minho looks at Hyunjin in surprise. „Why should not I be okay?“ Hyunjin reaches for Minhos hand and holds it tight. „Because of Jisung. How long have you been together?“

„Six weeks approximately. Damn Hyunjin he just stayed there, shouldn’t he have come with us if he loves me so much?“ Minho asks, tears on his cheek. „Hey, Minho, he loves you! he stayed because of his dad. How could he not love you? you're damn great, intelligent and beautiful.“ Hyunjin puts his hand on Minhos cheek and wipes away the tear. And then Minhos lips are on his.

Minhos fingers are in Hyunjins hair, his lips are firmly pressed on Hyunjins. Hyunjin lets Minho kiss him. It's almost as if he tastes Minhos fear and pain. His heart breaks a bit for the boy in his arms. As Minho kisses his neck, Hyunjin gently pushes him away. „Do not do that, you love Jisung. I love Seungmin.“ and then Minho just cries a bit, until the soldiers are gone and they can go back to the others.

Chan hugs the two stormily. „We were worried!“ Seungmin hisses Hyunjin and wraps his arms around him. Changbin captures the strange look Minho glances at the couple with. Felix takes Minhos hand and smiles warmly at him. „Let's disappear.“ Changbin says and nudges Jeongin to follow him.

And the plan is successful, because a little later, the group of boys is outside the dome, the mask on, except for Jeongin who can breathe without it. Felix crosses his fingers with Changbins and moves closer to him. In front of them lies a wide desert with dilapidated buildings and in the distance a storm is rising. „We make it.“ promises Changbin. Felix nods silently.


	13. Phase 13: all that lives will die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoy this xxl chapter ;D

The door to the lab opens. Jisungs heart briefly stops as the light starts. His eyes flutter open. He sees the dim shapes of a stocky man approaching the tube. „Jisung, I'm so sorry.“ Jisung recognizes the smoky, deep voice. „Yoojung!“ he croaks and lays his hands against the hard glass in front of him. His bodyguard, his best friend. „I'll get you out of here, wait a minute.“

The tube opens shortly afterwards with a loud hiss. Jisung falls forward, where he is caught by Yoojung. The man pulls the tubes out of his arms. While Jisung cries out in pain, Yoojung caresses his back reassuringly and murmurs little cheers again and again.

„Everything's okay, you made it. Come on, sit down.“ Jisung leans back in the chair and looks questioningly at Yoojung. „Why are you helping me?“ the others warm eyes flashed in amusement. „I’ve known you since you were a little boy, Jisung. You are like my own son. I will not let this maniac kill you.“

Jisung takes his civilian uniform and pulls it over hectically. „I have to leave the city immediately and find the others. I thought I handle my dad, but I was completely wrong.“ Yoojung calmly puts his hand on his shoulder. „You will leave the city today, trust me.“ Jisung wraps his arms around Yoojungs neck. „Thank you.“ he whispers into the ears of the man who was more of a father to him than his real one.

„No problem, little one. Let’s get you out of here.“

The sun shone mercilessly from the sky. Felix dragged himself completely exhausted through the morning heat of the desert. His lips were dry and torn. He tasted blood on his sandy tongue. Changbin, who did not leave his side, gasped. „I can’t walk anymore.“ Minho dropped to his knees and buried his fingers in the red sand in front of him.

Chan pulled Minho to his feet again. „No!“ he spat and pushed the older boy away from him. „Leave me here, I can not go any further.“ he dropped back onto the dirty floor. Felix looks worriedly at his friend. The despair shimmered so clearly in his tired eyes that it struck Felix in the heart.

Seungmin points to a building nearby. „We should take a break there for a while. Minho and Hyunjin should stay there, the rest will go out to look for water and food. Understood? they can not keep going.“

Hyunjin had leaned his whole weight against Seungmin. Sweat trickles down his beautiful face. Chan nods. The smallest boy, Jeongin, looked at Minho with a funny look on his face. „I'm helping Minho hyung walk.“ he then said and pulled the boy onto his back. Felix looks at Changbin, panic in his eyes. „We will die out here.“ and Changbin did not object. „At least we'll die together.“ he answers and presses the hand of his boyfriend.

The group reaches the building in silence. Minho is half dead on Jeongins back. Hyunjins eyes are closed as Seungmin pulls him into a corner to drop him off. Felix drops to the floor. Changbin snorts and sits next to him. Chan looks at the boys with a frown and sighs loudly. „We can’t go on like this. I will go out and find some food. Maybe a tourist or a transient left something here.“ Felix glances at Jeongin before saying that they will accompany Chan. Changbin gets up. „Then I will go too.“ Felix eyes lovingly glow at him.

Hyunjin is leaning against Seungmin. Chan is not sure if he is unconscious or asleep. „Take care of Minho.“ he says and points to the pale boy. Seungmin nods and tears a piece from his shirt to wipe Minhos forehead. „I'll do it, go.“ So Chan turns around and leads the others out into the burning midday sun.

Woojin's head hurts. He groans softly and grabs his forehead with his free hand. Dark red blood sticks to his fingers. The only source of light is the naked bulb above his head. Woojin does not like the darkness. The door is unlocked. A soldier comes in, his rifle in his hands. Woojin freezes. „Hey buddy.“ The soldier takes off his helmet. It is Jisung.

The boy laughs with relief. „Finally! damn, I thought I was dying here.“ A man enters the room. Woojin wants to warn Jisung, but he dismisses it. „This is my bodyguard Yoojung, you can trust him.“ Woojin nods, he's too tired to fight back when Yoojung unlocks his shackles. „Let's go.“ „Stop!“ Woojin yells and grabs Yoojungs arm. „I still have the restraints on my foot here, I can not get out of town.“ Jisung gets to his knees and takes something metallic out of his pocket. An electrical shock passes through Woojins body.

„Sorry about that.“ the younger one smiles. He holds out to Woojin the now open metal ring. He takes the shackles and fires them against the wall. „But now we have to go.“ Yoojung pulls the two boys out into the corridor. „Put on your helmet Jisung.“ he hisses. Jisung obeys. The three make it unnoticed into the entrance hall. „That was far too easy, where is everyone else?“ another soldier answers Woojins question.

„Yoojung, why do not you obey your orders?“ Yoojung tightens his shoulders and answers the icy look of the soldier. „I've just trained our new soldier here, what's the mission Jongmin?“ Jongmin gave Jisung and Woojin a derogatory look. „President Han sends us out to the air tanks to fill in the gas.“ Yoojung raises his eyebrow in question. „Which gas?“ „Well, this little inventor, Hyunjin, has refused to build the chips and software, and now a gas is used for mind control.“

Woojin shudders. "Through the air tanks, this gas can be distributed throughout the city!" he whispers to Jisung. "I know, quietly!" this hisses back. "Who is this?" Jongmin points to Woojin. „A prisoner, me and the new soldier will take him to jail before we meet at the air tanks.“ Jongmin nods and leaves. Jisung breathes with relief. „We have to go to the garage and get a car right away.“ Yoojung pushes the boys into a dark side corridor where he hectically unlocks the metal double door. „We do not have much time left! without masks or protection from the gas we are lost.“

The door swings open and bangs against the concrete wall of the building. The blow echoes through the empty garage. „Back there, the armored one!“ Woojin is frantically pointing at a silver car. The three sprinted to the car. „The key is inside!“ Jisung gets excited. Yoojung just gets into the car when President Han enters the garage. „Get down!“ he hisses at Jisung and Woojin. „Stay in the car.“ he turns off the engine and gets out. Woojin grabs Jisungs hand. „He can do it.“ But the fear in Yoojungs eyes tells him something else.

„Yoojung, I heard your conversation with Jongmin.“ President Han clasps his arms. „You deliberately did not tell me about your plans.“ Han nods, a wicked grin on his lips. „Very correct.“ Yoojung feels like the fire inside him starts to blaze. „And you did not tell me that you put Jisung in that damn tank.“ President Han laughs. It was a hoarse, gasping laugh, like that of a smoker. Woojin and Jisung shudder.

„I had no intention of ever getting him out there again.“ Yoojung grinds his teeth. „You fucking bastard!“ he shouts suddenly. He raises his fist, starts running. Yoojung fails to beat Han, because a short time later the sound of a rifle echoes through the garage. Steps take off, loud and fast. A door falls into the lock.

Everything feels like slow motion. As Jisungs trembling fingers unlock the car door. How Woojin tries to support him, but he pushes the boy away. Yoojung lies on the gray concrete floor, in a puddle of red. Jisung hears someone scream. He himself is the one who screams. He does not care that he stains his clothes with blood as he hugs Yoojungs body to himself. Frantically he tries to stop the bleeding, his hands are completely stuck together with blood. Yoojung raises a hand and grabs Jisungs.

„Jisung, I'm so sorry.“ Jisung shakes his head, tears in his eyes. „You're not going to tell me bye, you're going to pull yourself together right now and get up!“ Yoojung looks at him sadly. „Jisung, I can’t feel my legs anymore.“ „Fuck no!“ Jisung claws his hair and closes his eyes for a moment.

„You and Woojin, you have to go get out of town. Find your friends. I know you can manage to prevent the downfall of the city. Jisung, my clever, loving Jisung. You can do it. I believe in you.“ Yoojungs gaze wanders to Woojin. „Take care of him.“ and Woojin promises it in a soft entanglement of his fingers with Yoojungs.

„I will avenge you.“ whispers Jisung into Yoojungs hair. „I'm going to make this monster that killed you feel the consequences. I'm sorry, you do not deserve this.“ Yoojungs eyes stare at Jisung. Expressionless, dull. He is dead. Jisung screams and screams and screams and then he cries and then he hits the concrete walls again and again until his hands are torn and bloody. Woojin pulls the boy into a hug. He holds him until he stops crying. Jisung clings to Woojin as if he is his last rescue.

„You can not break now, Minho needs you.“ Woojin reminds him. And Jisung nods. He closes Yoojungs eyes. „Someone will come and bury you, I'm so sorry we can not do it.“ and then Jisung and Woojin get into the car and drive away. Away from the man that had raised Jisung like his own son. Away from the man who died because of Jisung.


	14. Phase 14: day of wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...this chapter may make you cry.  
>  sorry.

Jisung parks the car near the air tanks. „What now?“ Woojin looks at him. „We're leaving the city. Immediately.“ Jisung snips against his forehead. „First, we have to destroy the gas tanks. They have trained soldiers here, that means should the gas leak before it's in the tanks, they have to suck it in with something else and it's going to be lost forever.“

Woojin sighs annoyed. „Great.“ Jisung rolls his eyes and points to the cars in the distance. „See? The tanks are strapped to the cargo bed.“ Woojin just shrugs. „And how do we manipulate them?“ Jisung looks at him stunned. „Did you only sleep in chemistry? we can just open the stupid tanks.“

„Fine.“ Woojin looks down. His civilian uniform is stained with red bloodstains. „They will notice me from far away.“ Jisung closes the visor of his helmet. „Then I'll go. You wait here, okay?“ Woojin nods and chews nervously at his fingernails as Jisung leaves the car and runs towards the gas tanks.

The heat hits Felix skin. The blond boy wipes the sweat from his forehead. Changbin looks at him worriedly. „Is everything alright?“ Felix nods, but his throat is so dry that he can not answer. Changbin gently nudges his side. „Maybe you should turn back?“ Felix huffs dismissively. „No way. I wanted to tag along, now i’m here. Turning back would take longer anyway.“

Changbin sighs. Chan suddenly stops and points at something in the distance. „There are tents. We can look through them if we can find something edible.“ Jeongin looks at him with a strange expression in his eyes. „Isn’t that stealing?“ Changbin taps Jeongins shoulder. „No, it’s not. We need it to survive. It’s pure self-care.“ Felix opens one of the tents and shrieks. „Water bottles!“ he yells and pulls an entire paper bag filled with bottles outside. „Come on, i’ll take them.“ Changbin says. Chan pulls out a black bag from the other tent and laughs. „It’s our lucky day. Sandwiches, crackers, fruit. We have everything we need!“ The boys start to sing, relief crystal clear in their voices. Excited, they jump around in a circle, their faces stretched into the sun.

Suddenly the sky turns gray. The wind gets so strong that Felix has to hold on to Changbin so as not to fall over. „We have to go back right away, that's the storm we saw!“ Jeongin starts running, the others follow. After a while a loud bang sounds. Rain falls, but not a light drizzle as you can see in the dome. The drops are so big that they feel like little stones as soon as they hit the skin.

The heavy rain obscures Felix vision. „Changbin!“ his boyfriend had let go of him to carry the bags of water. Felix could not see the others anymore. He recognized Jeongin among the dense rainstains. And then Felix stumbles. The red sand crumbles under his feet, stones fall down to the meter. Dull beats could be heard as the debris hit the ground.

  
He screams as he falls with the stones in the depths. Felix heart stopped beating briefly. „NO!“ Changbins deep voice cries through the pattering rain. A hand encloses Felix hand. „Felix“, says his savior. It is Jeongin. The little boy pulls him up again. Felix flinches as an electric shock goes through his body. Confused, he looks at Jeongins and his united hands. A wide smile appears on Felix lips and shortly thereafter Jeongin beams at him, tears in his eyes. „Hello little brother.“ whispers Felix, pulling Jeongin into his arms.

„Brother?“ Changbin looks at the two boys confused. Felix nods frantically as he soothingly rubs up and down Jeongins back. The rain is slowly drying up. „I can remember everything.“ says Felix. „He's my little brother, and we're both from the outer provinces.“ Felix pulls off his breathing mask with a jerk. Nothing happens. He can breathe. His lungs don't feel like they're burning. Jeongin cuddles closer to Felix and hides his tear-stained face in his hyungs shirt. Chan watches the others from afar, a gentle smile on his tired face.

„But why do you only remember it now?“ Changbin asks skeptically. Felix shrugs. „This is the first time I’ve ever touched Jeongin, maybe it's because of it.“ Chan claps his hands. „That's very touching, but we should keep going.“ Felix nods and gets up. Jeongin stays close to his side all the way back.

Jisung knows his plan is not working when he runs away from the soldiers who caught him. Woojin pulls him into the car and rips his jacket and helmet off his head. "What you are doing!" Jisung hisses and starts the engine. „I'll open the last gas tanks, drive away and I'll meet you at the exits!“ Jisung wants to protest, hold onto him, but Woojin slips away. A little later, he sees the boy jumping onto the loading platform and open the last tank. The soldiers raise their rifles and shoot. Jisung looks at his feet to push the cars clutch.

He is about to run over the soldiers when he looks up again. And the last thing he sees of the gas tanks is an explosion so loud that Jisung's ears whistle. „No, shit!“ he roars angrily, a tear running down his cheek. The tanks are destroyed, the loading area burns brightly. He can no longer see Woojin, only the charred helmet is next to the destroyed tanks. Jisung drives away.

And a little later, when he sits in one of the tanks, disguised as a soldier, which are supposed to hunt Chan and the others, his heart burns so much that he finally lets himself cry. He cries for Yoojung, Woojin, even for the soldier he has cold-heartedly killed by slitting his throat, just to then steal his clothes and leave him exposed in a side street. Now he has blood on his hands. And soon he would have the blood of his own father clinging to his hands.

The microphone on his helmet crackles softly. „We're outside of the dome, put on the masks. Once we're in visual contact with the group we're looking for, we’ll attack. We do not have to bring them back alive, except for the two brothers and the technician boy.“

Jisung clings to his rifle. No one of his friends would be killed, even if it cost his own life.


	15. Phase 15: this is the wild game of survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guys...the next chapter will be the end of this story!  
> who would've thought i'd actually be capable of finishing this long as hell fanfiction??
> 
> ( sorry about the fact that this chapter will hurt...a lot. )

_The blond hair of his mother is blowing cheerfully in the wind. The sunshine makes her bronzed skin shine. Felix looks over at his father, who puts flowers behind his little brother's ears. Jeongin claps excitedly and chuckles. Felix rolls laughing through the soft grass and pulls Jeongin on his lap. The boy lovingly looks at the little one. "Lix" Jeongin says, nudging his nose. Areum laughs. Felix mother had a laugh that flooded the soul with warmth, just like the flame of a candle in the evening. Donghae laughs and begins to tickle his sons before a loud engine noise startles him. Areum grabs Felix arm and looks at him urgently. „They’re coming, they’re coming, take care of Jeongin, WAKE UP FELIX!“_

  
Felix jumps, sweat pouring down his spine. He looks around hastily. Changbin has shaken him awake and his little brother is still sleeping soundly while his little hands are holding Felix top. „Felix, shit, they found us!“ Minho helped Chan stuff his belongings into a backpack. „We have to go!“ Felix wakes up Jeongin. „Hyung?“ Felix literally felt his heart swell. „We have to go Jeongin, we are in danger.“

Jeongin gets up. Hyunjin pulls Seungmin out of the building. But the group does not make it far. The tanks of the president are only a few meters away from them. Adrenaline shoots through Felix body as Changbin pulls him behind him. Jeongin cuddles anxiously against Felix. They are surrounded. Minho is furious. Chan hugs him before Minho charges to do something stupid.

„Group was sighted, be ready for access.“ it sounds through Jisungs ear. The boy loosens the handle on his rifle. The door of the tank is unlocked. The remaining soldiers stream out of the tank interior before Jisung can leave this tin can. Outside is a merciless heat. Jisungs heart beats faster. How could his friends survive so long out here? What if Minho was not alive anymore?

Minho feels like he's awoken in a bad dream. His friends were busy fending off their attackers while a small soldier ran up to him. He waved frantically, but Minho grabs the stone next to him and hurls it at the soldier. They are outnumbered, Minho knows that, but he prefers to fight rather than don’t like Jisung. A new wave of anger flows through his body. These people have Jisung, maybe they tortured him, maybe even killed him. They would pay for it.

Felix pulls down a soldier from Jeongin. Nobody touches his little brother as long as he can prevent it. The man takes off and meets Felix nose. The boy feels the warm blood running, tastes it on his tongue. He feels sick. He never thought he would have to fight like that. Desperately, his hands grope for something in the sand, grabbing a rusty metal bar. Felix raises his arms with all his strength. The soldier above him screams. The pole is in his chest. Felix hands are shaking, he lets go and rolls away. The soldier lies in the red sand, his eyes staring into the sun. He is dead.

Jeongins cry brings him back to reality. „Everything okay?“ he asks. Jeongin nods. „Changbin!“ Chan screams suddenly. Felix whirls around to see his boyfriend hit a soldiers head against the wall of the building. Hyunjin and Seungmin throw stones in the direction of the soldiers. Not one of them shoots at Hyunjin, the rifles all point to Seungmin. Felix has to swallow, he can not see Minho.

What happens next happens so fast that none of the guys has time to prevent it. One of the soldiers raises his rifle and aims at Felix. Changbin runs and pushes Felix out of the way. Two shots sound. The soldier who shot at Felix lies motionless on the ground. A small soldier stands behind him, his rifle up too. „Felix …" whispers a voice and wakes Felix out of his shock. Changbin lies on the ground, red blood colors the sand next to him. Felix falls to his knees and frantically presses his hand on the gunshot wound in his side. „Okay, that'll be fine again“, he mumbles over and over again. „Jeongin, help me!“ yells Felix upset. Jeongin storms up.

Together, the brothers press on Changbins wound. Seungmin screams in the distance. He roars Hyunjins name and his voice is so full of pain that Minho goes to his knees. The last two surviving soldiers have Hyunjin, a rifle aimed at the head. Seungmin is being held by Chan. „No no!“ tears cloud Seungmins view. Minho puts his hands over his eyes. He can not see how Hyunjin is captured. How he calls Seungmin that he will always love him. And then the tank drives away and takes his friend with him. They failed.

Seungmin falls into Cha's arms and clings to him like a drowning man to his lifeboat. Felix tears fall on Changbin's pale face. The group sits in the sand next to Changbin. Minho sweeps through Changbins hair. No one sees the little soldier who sits down before Minho jumps up and attacks him. „Who the hell are you you bastard!“ he yells and pulls the helmet off his head. „JISUNG?!“ everyone stares at him like he’s a ghost.

Minho clings to him, presses his face into Jisungs neck. He inhales Jisungs smell, soaks up the gentle touches on his back. A tear falls. „I thought you were dead.“ Minho mutters. Jisung shakes his head and presses a gentle kiss on Minhos lips. „I missed you so much“, Minho cries. „Now I'm back with you.“ Chan looks at Jisung urgently.

„Where's Woojin? God Jisung please tell me you know where my fucking boyfriend is.“ Jisung swallows. „I know where he is.“ Chan claws his fingernails in Jisungs thigh. „Where is he?“ Jisung takes Chans hand in his, a compassionate look in his eyes. „I'm so sorry, Chan. He's dead.“ All color is drained from Chans face. Seungmin is crying more and more in Chans arms. „No …“ tears are running down the boys' cheeks. „Woojin died in an explosion.“ a bloodcurdling scream escapes from Chans mouth. Seungmin is holding him tight. Both feel the same pain.

Changbin is shaking. Felix holds his hand tighter while Jeongin calmly strokes his cheek. „Woojin is dead, Felix, and I’m going to die too.“ Felix has the feeling of suffocating on his tears. „Do not say that, you will not die. Forget it.“ Changbin smiles, it's a tormented, almost broken smile.“"You can not die okay, I love you too much, you can not leave me alone now.“ Felix leans down and kisses Changbin. Jeongin feels his heart break as he sees his big brother. He can not relieve his pain. „I love you too.“ Changbin replies and drives lovingly through Felix blond hair. Then his eyelids flutter shut. All the boys are staring at him in horror, shouting his name. No Answer.

„Changbin!“ cries Felix, taking Changbins face in his hands. Then there are steps, many, like those of a group. Felix looks up, the world is spinning. Then it turns black and he falls motionless in the sand. He doesn’t hear Jeongins scream.

 


	16. Phase 16: the end of all things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe this is the last chapter!  
> thanks for everyone who read this fanfiction from start till end.  
> <3 see you in my next work!

  
The sun is about to rise when Felix opens his eyes. His fingers move slowly, he feels rough stuff underneath. Desert sand sticks to his eyelids, indicating that the entire last day was not an illusion or a bad dream. Felix thoughts wander to Changbin. He jumps awake. The glaring white of the sun blinds him and Felix holds his hand protecting his eyes. His heart is racing and his throat is dry and burning like fire. Changbin ..., Changbin is dead.

Tears run down his cheeks and Felix bites hard on his lower lip to keep himself from screaming. He is looking around. He's in a tent, colorful cloths and decorative things hang everywhere.

The curtain in front of the entrance is pulled away and a tall, muscular man with insistent cat eyes enters the room. He has tattered brown hair and dark freckles on his nose. „Good morning Felix.“ the stranger greets him and extends his hand to him. Felix gives way to the hard bed. His fingers cling to the thin blanket on his legs. „Where is Changbin?“ he croaks.

The man sits down next to him carefully. „Do you recognize all this here?“ He asks. Felix frowns. „No, why should I?“ the man lovingly smiles at him. „Take my hand.“

Felix flinches as the stranger grabs his hand and lays it down on the painting of an eye on his forehead. An electric shock twitches through Felix entire body. He tries to tear his hand away, but the man ruffles his hair reassuringly. „Close your eyes Felix, calm down.“ and the tone in his voice makes Felix listen.

_„Felix!“ The boy opens his eyes again. He is standing in a field. But he is not alone. Workers are out in the field harvesting vegetables and swinging pickaxes through the air just to bury them in the ground afterwards. A little boy runs past him. Felix tries to hold him tight, but his fingers glide through his body as if the boy was pure air._

_„Jeongin!“ calls an unfamiliar voice. Felix shoots around. The little boy, his little brother is picked up by the same man who came to his tent. A beautiful woman steps out beside him and puts her hand on the man's shoulder. „That's us Felix, your family.“ Felix stumbles back as the man talks to him. He falls and falls. And then Felix beats painfully on the hard ground. „Donghae, my father“, he whispers into the void._

„Felix.“ Donghae looks worriedly at his son as a drop of blood trickles from his nose. Felix opens his eyes. „Father.“ he says carefully, waiting for Donghaes reaction. The man breaks into a wide smile and pulls him into a hug. Felix heart beats so fast that he is afraid it could shatter at any moment. „Dad.“ whispers Felix into the shirt of his father. „Finally I have you again, you and Jeongin, my sons.“ Donghae is beaming at him. „Dad, where is Changbin?“ Felix asks again.

„He's in the medical tent, he's fine Felix. Changbin is alive.“ Felix gets up. „I have to go to my friends.“ Donghae nods and accompanies him outside. Felix looks around in astonishment in the small village. „Your friends are back there in the red tent, go to them.“

Felix storms through the village, ignoring the prying eyes. He is out of breath as he reaches the red tent. „Felix!“ an excited voice penetrates his ear. Jeongin looks at him and jumps into his arms. „Hey kid, are you okay?“ Jeongin nods and buries his nose in Felix neck. „I have missed you hyung.“

„Where are the others?“ Jeongin pulls Felix into the tent. Minho and Jisung lie in a hammock, cuddled together and sleep peacefully. Felix smiles softly and pulls the blanket over the two which has slipped down. „Felix?“ another voice whispers. Seungmin is sitting on the floor, a sleeping Chan on his lap. Felix almost feels his heart break as he sees the dark shadows and red edges on Seungmins eyes.

Felix sits down next to Seungmin and carefully puts his hand on his shoulder. „How are you?“ the boy only shakes his head. „Do you think he is dead?“ Felix bites his lip. „I dont know.“

The curtain in front of the tent is torn away. Jeongin clings to Felix, but he lets go of his brother when he recognizes Changbin. The boy is standing there, a big white bandage tied around his chest. „Changbin“, Felix whispers before getting up and hugging his boyfriend. „Shit, I was so worried about you.“ Changbin presses Felix kisses on the cheek, the chin, his eyelids. „We are both alive.“ he says and then he finally kisses him gently on the lips.

„Your father wants to see us, we should go to the big main tent.“ Felix nods and breaks away from Changbin. „We still need to wake Chan and Minsung.“ „Minsung?“ Changbin asks in amusement. „Yes, Minho and Jisung.“ Jeongin grins and jumps excitedly between the boys back and forth. „I can not believe we made it out of the dome.“ mumbles Changbin. „Neither do I.“ retorts Felix.

Minho and Jisung are close to Changbin and Felix as the group sits down in the main tent. Both boys almost burst into tears when they saw that Changbin is still alive. Chan was dumb. He hugged Felix and Changbin for a moment, but then he went back to Seungmins side and stayed there.

Donghae stands on a table and raises his sword. „My dear friends and relatives, my sons have finally returned!“ the crowd breaks into cheers. Jeongin looks around excitedly. „As you all know, we brought a spy to the dome. I’m sorry, we can not attack. Two of my sons' friends are in danger there, but the president has created a dangerous gas. We can not save your friends.“ Donghaes eyes bored into Felix soul. Seungmin and Chan leaned their heads together and wept softly. This is the end.

A raven-black night started in the dome. Hyunjin and Woojin are sitting in their cell looking at each other silently. „So you survived the explosion?“ Woojin nods softly. „And they took you prisoner?“ Hyunjin nods too. „We can’t leave here again. Changbin and the others are most likely dead already.“ Hyunjin says and pulls something out of his pocket. „Why do you have a lighter with you?“

Hyunjin grins as he cleverly opens the lock with a piece of wire. „ This is a bomb. Almost twice as strong as normal. Woojin, we're dying anyway, let's kick the presidents ass.“ Woojin takes his hand. Together, the boys run into the elevator. A soldier recognized the two, but he was not fast enough. After two minutes, the boys are standing on the roof of the government building. The stars sparkled crystal clear above their heads. „What a nice night to die.“ Woojin turns to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin smiles gently at him. „At least Seungmin and Chan are safe.“ he says. Woojin tears up, but nods. „Thank you for being my friend.“ Hyunjin hugs Woojin. „Nothing to thank, we're doing the right thing.“ and when the soldiers enter the door to the roof, Hyunjin lights the explosive device.

A loud crash startled everyone in the village. Felix wakes up first. He screams at the others to get up, grabs Changbin's hand and pulls him outside. The other villagers are already standing there staring into the distance. A big cloud of fire stretches towards the sky. „The Dome“, Jeongin stammers as he looks at the explosion. Jisung clings to Minho and hides his head in his shirt. Chan and Seungmin fall to the ground, the last hope that their lovers are still alive is blown away. Donghae orders the residents to go to sleep again. The group of boys, however, remains in the freezing cold, all pressed together. Chan and Seungmin in the middle. „We are so sorry.“ whispers Felix, while Chan emits a sound like an injured animal. „They are dead, everyone in the dome is dead.“ Changbin leans his head against Felix, sliding his fingers between his. „The evil is gone.“

The next few months are not easy. Seungmin and Chan are both quiet, sometimes one of them wakes up screaming, calls to Woojin or Hyunjin. Then one of the boys goes to them and lies with them until the angry boy falls asleep again. During the day they throw themselves into the work in the fields or animal stables. Jeongin had become friends with another child. He had become a boisterous, happy child. Minho and Jisung had agreed to help in the kitchen.

Felix and Changbin sit on a rock in front of the big river and watch the village. Felix leans his head wearily on Changbins shoulder. „Do you think everything will become normal someday?“ Changbin sighs. „Do you still feel guilty that we could not save the dome?“ Felix shrugs. „We're just teenagers, Felix, we can not save the world.“

„Look my darling, sometimes the bad guys just win, sometimes the good guys win, but most of the time, life is unfair and everything is going on like it should not. We could not have done anything, we were not the ones who detonated the bomb. We did not kill Hyunjin, we did not kill Woojin.“ a tear runs over Felix cheek and drips on the red sand beneath them. „I'm glad you’re alive.“ says Felix. Changbin is smiling and tangles his fingers in Felix hair. Then he leans forward and kisses him so passionately that it makes Felix dizzy.

„Everything will be fine, we're safe.“ Changbin points to the gambling Jeongin, then to Minho and Jisung, who spray themselves with water at the well before kissing each other, laughing and out of breath. Then he points to Chan and Seungmin, who come together from the animal house. And Chan laughs. Seungmins eyes sparkle again. And maybe he even turns red when Chan brushes his hair out of his eyes.

„Everything will be fine.“ Felix repeats and exhales. We are safe.


	17. Phase 17: road to recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> surprise!  
> this is a little bonus chapter that will tell what happened to Seungmin and Chan after the domes destruction.  
> some readers were curious about their growing relationship in the finale, so i figured why not expose Seungmins little diary he started writing while living in the village ;D

Seungmins diary

**a week after the domes destruction**

_Everybody says we should be happy. The dome is gone, all the evil people with it._  
_But how am i supposed to be happy when the love of my life died in the explosion?_  
_It should hurt, but i don’t feel the pain. I don’t feel anything anymore. My heart is numb._

**a month after the domes destruction**

_I have nightmares, every night. All i can see is how the fire surrounds Hyunjin, licks at his skin while he screams for my help. I can’t help, because i’m standing so far away that i’ve never reached him in time. Chan and the others take good care of me. I woke up this night after yet another nightmare, Chan was by my side. I can tell he misses Woojin just as much as i miss Hyunjin. He tries to deny it, make me feel like we can be alright again, but he can’t fool me. I heard him whisper Woojins name this morning. Can we ever return back to normal?_

**two months after**

_Felix and Changbin gave me and Chan jobs so we could „distract yourselves“, but i don’t know if that’s really a good idea. I don’t dream about Hyunjin as much as i used to, i already forgot how he smelled or how his lips felt on mine. I feel guilty. What if i forget what he looks like or the sound of his voice? what if i forget how he called me his and the sparkling in his eyes when he looked at me? i don’t want to hurt anymore. But i can’t let him go. Chan is by my side all the time. During breakfast, work, we go eat lunch together and we share a bed. His company feels good, he makes me feel safe. Yesterday he brushed my hair out off my eyes and i could feel my heart jump. I like him. But i can’t let Hyunjin go._

**two months and a week after**

_Chan took me out yesterday night to show me the stars. He had some food with him and we climbed on top of the highest hill near the village. He leaned his head onto my shoulder and held my hand while he explained the night sky to me. I have never realized how pretty his voice sounds. And then it happened. Chan just looked at me, told me how i outshine all the stars in this world and kissed me. It felt like my heart was going to burst. I shoved him away, yelled at him how he could move on from Woojin so easily and just continue like our boyfriends didn’t die for us. Chan told me he is sure they wouldn’t want us to suffer all their lives. Hyunjin i’m sorry. I agreed and we kissed again._

**two weeks after the kiss**

_We told the others about our kiss. Everybody was so happy that we seemed so much brighter again. Yet i can’t stop feeling guilty. But i also don’t want to let go of Chan. He helped me through the darkest time of my life and somehow along the way his comfort just turned into something so much more. It feels like he was the right one for me. Hyunjin, i loved you for such a long time and i would’ve been so excited to marry you, but fate decided against us. Please just know that i will never forget you, but my heart moved on. I don’t have nightmares anymore and i don’t remember your eyes anymore. Your voice faded like dust in the wind. All i can see when i think of you is fire and destruction. And that described our love perfectly. We burned the society and their rules to the ground. But we got burned with it along the way and the flames took you away from me. Maybe we weren’t meant to be. Maybe Chan is the one to stay._

**five months after everything**

_I told Chan i love him and he started to cry. And i cried too. Finally, finally i feel genuinely free. Are you reading this Chan? i love you._

_~~I miss you Hyunjin.~~ _

**almost two years after everything**

_Felix and Changbin adopted a kid the soldiers of the village found while hunting. The little boy adores them so much. It warms my heart to see them, they’re finally what they always aspired to be. A family. I couldn’t feel happier for them. Changbin wants to propose to Felix tonight. He will say yes. They have what you could describe as the perfect love. Felix is the sun, Changbin the moon. They sacrifice themselves for the others happiness. But while Felix can be too bright and Changbin too gloomy sometimes, they manage to balance out each others strengths and weaknesses. Nothing will ever be able to separate them, i’m sure of it._

_Minho and Jisung are still together. They had a lot of ups and downs, but they always managed to fight through it together. Their love is inspiring. It shows that no matter how hard it gets, together they’re invincible. Sometimes when they argue it’s like their love’s a blazing fire, eating away all the good inside of them. But after that, after all the screaming and the insults and accusations, their love turns back into a silent wavering ocean. They talk about it, admit their mistakes. A lot of tears a shed. But that’s okay, because that’s just Minho and Jisung._

_I don’t know how i could ever describe Chan and me. He is my rock, the one that keeps me up when i fall. He comforts me, listens to all my worries. But he is also the one to push me to work on myself, sometimes even a bit merciless. Someone once told me that what we have is toxic, but they just don’t understand. When Chan yells at me to forget Hyunjin it’s not because he doesn’t want me to hurt or remember the love i shared with him, it’s because he wants me to be happy. He wants me to feel alright again. I don’t think of Hyunjin as much anymore. Sometimes he just pops up inside of my head and i will feel my heart drop again. Then Chan will be there, gripping my hand tightly while telling me to shove him out off my head. And when i do, i feel relieved. Chan is my protector and i’m his. We helped each other to heal. And i love him. And he loves me. He made me feel again. And i will never be able to thank him enough. Chan is not cold, like some villagers say. He’s just worried about me and i appreciate that. I'm so thankful for having him by my side, i don't know if i could cope if he suddenly leaves.  
_

**two and a half years after everything**

_Chan asked me to be his husband and i said yes. I’m sure now. He’s the one who will stay._

**Author's Note:**

> i'd be very thankful for kudos and comments! :)


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